Machine for cutting rubber gaskets.



F. BRELLE, Sn. & E'. BRELLE, Jn. MACHINE FOR CUTTING RUBBER GAsKETs.

APPLIOATIGN FILED .TUNEZL 1913.

1,107,404. Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

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F.. BRELLE, SB. & P. BRELLE, Jn. MACHINE FOR GUTTING RUBBER GASKETS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZl, 1913.

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F. BRBLLE, SR. & F. BRELLEL'JE. MACHINE PQR CUTTING RUBBER GAsKETs.

APPLICATION FILED JUNBZl, 1913 1 .107,404; Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

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ATTORNEY lul- .nRRls PETERS C0., Prlnrorlrinu., WASHINGmN. uv U.

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FRANK BRELLE, SR., AND FRANK BRELLE, JR., OF FERNDALE, CALFORNIA.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING RUBBER GASKETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ano'. 18, 1914.,

Application filed .Tune 21, 1913. Serial No. 775,110.

employed for sealing fruit'jars and for packing oints.

1n accordance with the present invention there is provided a lathe-like structure having feeding and cutting mechanism constructed to operate automatically and to be utilized for cutting rubber rings for fruit jars where the rings are flat or in substantially one plane throughout, or where the rings are slightly curved in cross section, so

as in some instances to include an arc approaching ninety degrees.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical form of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modificationsmark no material departure from the salient features of the invention. l

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an end elevation. Fig. 4 is a face view of an eccentric employed in the structure. Fig. 5 is an edge view of the structure of Fig. 4 and showing the eccentric mounted on a drive shaft. F 6 is a view of an intermittent actuating gear employed in the machine. Figs. 7 and 8 are views of part of a tool rest. Fig. 9 is a view of a reciprocating bar employed on the tool rest. Figs.y 10 and 11 are views of a feed nut structure. on the tool carriage. Fig. 12 is a view of a modified form of tool carrier. Figs. 13 and 14 are side and end views of a cutting tool which may be employed for forming curved gaskets.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a base 1 on which is erected end frames 2 and 3 and an intermediate frame 4.

Mounted in the end frame 2 and intermediate frame 4 is a drive shaft 5 on one end of which is secured a pulley 6 and at the other end a chuck 7 of any suitable form designed yto engage one end of a roller 8, the other end of which is engaged by a tail stock 9 mounted in the frame 3. As these parts may be all of ordinary form, detail showing or description thereof is deemed unnecessary. The roller 8 is designed to carry a tube 10 ordinarily of soft rubber, but which may be of any material suited for the pun poses of the present invention, hence the term rubber isto be understood throughout this speciiication as not only referring to rubber per 8c, but to any suitable material..

0n the shaft 5 is a pinion 11 meshing with a gear wheel 12 on a countershaft 13 jour- A4 and at the other end in the frame 8 and bevond the latter the shaft 16 carries a mutilated gear wheel 17 shown separately in 6' as provided with av short length of gear teeth 18, whilethe remainder of the periphery is smooth, as indicated at 19. The shaft 1G is provided with a longitudinal key or spline 2O which may be approximately long as the part of the shaft between the frames 8 and 4. The mutilated gear 17 is arranged to engage a mutilated pinion 21 on a screw shaft 22 journaled in the frames 3 and 4 andthe pinion 21 has a suitable number of teeth to agree with the teeth 1S of the gear wheel 17 and is also provided with diametrically opposed rest spaces 28 conn forming in curvature tothe curvature of the smooth part 11 of the mutilated gear 17. rFhe arrangement is such that at each rotation of the gear 17 the pinion 21 is drit/en one-half arotation, this being in accordance with the particular construction shown in the drawings, although, of course, other proportions may he adopted, but it is desirable that the screw shaft 22 upon which thel gear wheel 21 is keyed shall have an intermittent rotative movement imparted to it, while the shaft 5 and drum 8 driven thereby rotate continuously.v

Extending between the frames 3 and 4 are suitablyl spaced guide rods 24, 25, respectively, upon which is mounted a frame 26 having elongated sleeves 26a surrounding the rods 24 and 25 to slide thereon and at i f a stem 37 formed at the upper end with a there is mounted a rod 41 for longitudinal z able part of the carriage frame 26, while the' other ends of the arms 27 and 28 are formed into matching half nuts 30 adapted toy the feed screw 22. The arms 27 and 28 have matching lugs 31 determining the approach of the two halves 30 of the feed nut, so that kit may at no time be made to bind too tightly upon the feed screw 22. Fast to the arm 27 and extending through the arm 28 is a threaded rod 32 surrounded between the two arms by a spring 33 tending to force the arms apart, while a thumb nut 34 applied to the rod 32 serves to force the arms together against the action of the spring 83. This permits an operator to couple u'p the carriage to the feed screw 22 or to disconnect it therefrom, so far as feed is concorneal, by a suitable manipulation of the thumb nut 34.

The frame 26 is provided at the upper end with a clamp sleeve 35 controlled by a screw or bolt 36 and entering this sleeve is plate or table 38 projecting oppositely from the stem 37 and at one 'end the table 38,

which is substantially horizontal, has erectp ed thereon spaced bearings 39, 40, in which reciprocation, this rod being shown separate-ly in Fig. 9, and is provided with a longitudinally disposed rack bar 42. rlhat ,end

of the rod 41 which in action constitutes the lower end is reduced as shown at 43, and is threaded for the receptionl of a nut 44. rIhe reduced end 43 of the rod 41 has secured thereto a block 45 receiving a screw 46 coni stituting a pivot connection for one end of a vpitman 47, the other rend of which is expanded into an eccentric strap 48 housing an eccentric 49 mounted on the shaft 16, and being held thereto for rotationby the spline 20, but capable of sliding therealong. AThe eccentric 49 is provided with an elongated hub 50 of a length to pass through the frame 26 and is held thereto by a set collar :51 on thev end of the hub remote from the eccentric 49, so that the eccentric will travel with 'the frame 26 and may rotate without'interference from said frame.

Formed on the table 38 are vspaced bearings 52, 53 in which is mounted ashaft 54, being `held against longitudinal movement by set screws 55 between the 'bearings 52 and 58. One end of the shaft 54 carries a pinion 56 in mesh with the rack gear 42,

`path of the cutting part of the tool.

while the other end of the shaft'is provided with a chuck 57 in which may be lodged the shank of a tool 58, the other end of which is formed into or carries a cutter designed to operate upon the rubber tube 10 to cut fiat or other shaped rings therefrom, and the cutter may be a plain straight cutter, as indicated at 59 in Fig. 12, or may have a curvature as .indicated at 60 in Figs. 13 and 14.

lNith the structure so far described, and

with a cutter such as indicated at 60, the tool 58 is given a rotative movement by thel action of the cam pitman 47 upon the rod 41 and the latter in turn partially rotates the shaft 54, so that the cutting end of the ,tool describes an arc of a circle in a direction to enter the rubber tube 10 and move in a curved path therein toward one end ofl the tube. Considering the tube as being roitated at a high speed and the cutter as moving thereinto at a suitable speed, a ring is lout off of the tube, but having a certain curvature in cross section agreeable to the The 'parts are so timed in movement that while this cutting action is taking place, the tool ,carriage is quiescent, being 'held by the blank portion 19 of the gear wheel 17 in engagement with kone of the blank or rest portions 23 of the pinion 21. As soon as the cutting is finished and the tool-is returned to its inactive position by the action ,of the cam pitman, the teeth 18 are brought Ainto contact with the teeth of the pinion 21 `|and the latter is rotated a suflicient distance 1to cause the screw shaft 22 to feed the carriage a distance agreeable to the thickness ,of the rings to be cut, whereupon the carriage is again locked in the quiescent position and the tool is yagain operated to cut :a ring.

tWhere flat rings are to be cut, the shaft 54 is omitted and the rod`41 is omitted,

these parts being replaced by a 'ro-d 41 ,shown in Fig. 12, but actuated in the same manner as the rod 41, while instead of the `bearings52 and 53 for the shaft 54 the k'table 38 carries a bracket v61 upon which is pivoted a lever 62 connected at one end to the rod 41a and at the other carrying a chuck 57a .adapted to receive the tool 5Sa with a cutting point 59 as already' referred to. l/Vith this arrangement the i cutting point 59 simply enters the rubber tube in a plane substantially perpendicular to its longitudinal axis, and rings of even diam- Ieter and plane throughout are cut off from rods until the desired retracted position is reached.

In practice the rubber tube is rotated about five hundred times a` minute, and the parts are so proportioned that ten turns of the roller will be suiiicient for the cutting of one gasket, so that twenty-five gaskets per minute may be made on a machine constructed substantially as illustrated.

Vhat is claimed is l. In a machine for the purpose described, means for holding and continuously rotating a rubber tube, a cutter, means for intermittently feeding the cutter lengthwise of the rubber tube, and means for continuously moving the cutter into and away from the rubber tube, the movement into the rubber tube being timed to occur during the periods of rest of feed of the cutter lengthwise of the tube.

2. In a machine for the purpose described, a holder for al rubber tube, means for rotating said holder, a feed screw, reduced motion driving means between the driving means for the rubber tube and the feed screw, said means including a mutilated gear for imparting intermittent motion to the feed screw, a tool carriage having means for connecting it to the feed screw, a tool holder on the tool carriage, means for imparting a rotatable movement to the tool holder in reverse directions, and a tool adapted to the tool holder and provided with a cutting blade of a length and shape to enter the rubber tube in a curved path to sever rings therefrom curved in the direc* tion of the longitudinal aXis of the tube.

3. In a machine for the purpose described, a rotatable holder for a rubber tube, a feed-screw, and driving means for impart ing rotative movement to the rubber tube holder and the feed screw, said driving means including a mutilated gear having a portion of its periphery smooth, and a pinion having teeth on its periphery separated by smooth portions on diametrically opposite sides, the teeth and smooth portions of the pinion being related to the teeth and smooth portion of the gear to cause a further rotative movement of the pinion for each complete rotation of the gear.

4. In a machine for the purpose described, a tool carriage, supporting and feeding means therefor, a reciprocable rod carried by the tool carriage, an eccentric pitman carried by the tool carriage and connected to the rod, an eccentric also carried by the carriage in engagement with the eccentric pitman, means for imparting rotative movement to the eccentric, and a tool carrier connected to the rod to receive movements in opposite directions therefrom.

5. In amachine for the purpose described, a tool carriage, supporting and feeding means therefor, a reciprocable rod carried by the tool carriage, an eccentric pitman carried by the tool carriage and connected to the rod, an eccentric also carried by the carriage in engagement with the eccentric pitman, means for imparting rotative move ment to the eccentric, and a tool carrier connected to the rod to receive movements in opposite directions therefrom, the tool carrier being in the form of a rock shaft and provided with a pinion and the reciprocable rod being `provided with a rack meshing with the pinion.

6. In a device for the purpose described, a tool carriage, a feed screw therefor, and connections between the tool carriage and feed screw comprising two pivoted arms in opposition and each including a half nut, a clamping means between the arms for holding the nut in engagement with the screw, a spring between the arms for forcing the nut apart and limiting means on the arms preventing binding approach of the half nuts.

In testimony, that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto aiiXed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK BRELLE, SR. FRANK BRELLE, JR.4 Witnesses:

S. G. ToMrKINs, A. LAURET.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C." 

